Calls to Boycott Timati: Case Against Blogger Aida Zheksenova Dropped

The case against Moscow-based blogger Aida Zheksenova, opened after she urged people not to attend Timati’s concert, has been closed. She is considering filing a counterclaim against Russian producer Alexey Puchkov, Orda.kz reports.

Police completed their inquiry and found no grounds for either criminal or administrative charges. Zheksenova announced the decision on social media. She had been summoned to the Astana police after posting a call to boycott a concert by Russian rapper Timati.

According to her, officers pressed her to delete the post, but she refused:

I said that I had not done anything illegal and that I would not back down from my position.

Journalists, human rights activists, bloggers, and hundreds of followers expressed support.

Even Culture and Information Minister Aida Balayeva publicly backed her.

The minister sympathized with the situation in a womanly way and showed that the state can also be on the side of the law and common sense,
 Zheksenova wrote.

Authorities ultimately concluded that a boycott is not extremism and that civic engagement is not a crime.

Zheksenova believes the case sets an important precedent:

Now, denying a businessman his fantasies is not a violation of the law. (…) If anyone decided they could drag people into departments for saying the word ‘boycott,’ they should know: we have a voice. And we know how to defend it

Zheksenova is now considering filing a defamation and false-accusation lawsuit against producer Alexey Puchkov, who submitted the complaint.

He accused her of inciting hatred for using the phrase “don’t sponsor war” in her call to boycott Timati’s concert.

She was summoned to the anti-extremism department.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov